Executive Education, Innovation Expert to Become New McDonough School of Business Dean

June 1, 2017 – Paul Almeida, deputy dean of executive education and innovation at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business, will become the school’s new dean on Aug. 1.

Almeida, an expert in business innovation, knowledge management and alliances, as well as information collaborations across firms and countries, first came to Georgetown in in 1995.

Currently a professor of strategy and international studies at McDonough, he served as senior associate dean for executive programs between 2010 and 2016. The author of numerous scholarly articles, he also will become the William R. Berkley Chair at the school in August.

“Throughout his tenure at Georgetown, Paul has exemplified a commitment to principled leadership, instilling a global mindset focused on service to others into each program and project he oversees," says Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia. "I am deeply grateful for his willingness to serve our entire university community as dean of the McDonough School of Business."

Leadership, High Rankings

Almeida leads the administrative and academic components of six executive education degree programs, including the Global Executive MBA he co-founded with the School of Foreign Service and ESADE Business School; the Executive Master’s in Leadership program customized for D.C. public school principals and executives; and the M.S. in Finance, McDonough’s first technology-enhanced program.

During his tenure, the school's executive degree and custom programs consistently have achieved high rankings.

In its most recent rankings, the Financial Times listed the Executive MBA as first in the world for international business and the Global Executive MBA programs as fifth, while the executive custom programs were ranked fourth in the United States.

As deputy dean, Almeida oversees the school’s new Innovation Initiative, which seeks to more deeply integrate Georgetown’s Catholic and Jesuit values into the school; expand technology-enhanced learning; leverage the school’s location in Washington, D.C.; and increase organizational excellence.

Educating Students For the World

“I was educated in Jesuit schools as a child, and I carry the lessons I learned in my youth with me every day, often drawing upon them in my own classroom,” Almeida says. “It is an honor to now have the opportunity to lead a school that is rooted in both excellence and educating students to be successful in the world and for the world.”

Throughout his career Almeida has received numerous awards for teaching, service and research, including recognition as Georgetown’s “Outstanding Professor, Executive MBA Award” seven times.

Almeida holds a Ph.D. in international business and strategy and a masters in applied economics and managerial science from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania; a PGDM (MBA) from the Indian Institute of Management; and a B.E. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Poona in India.

Rohan Williamson, professor of finance, will continue to serve as interim dean through the end of July.